a. Technical Field
The instant disclosure relates to the design, manufacture, and assembly of sensors for medical devices, including sensors manufactured according to semiconductor fabrication techniques.
b. Background Art
Catheters are used for an ever-growing number of procedures. For example, catheters are used for diagnostic, therapeutic, and ablative procedures, to name just a few examples. Typically, the catheter is manipulated through the patient's vasculature and to the intended site such as, for example, a site within the patient's heart. The catheter typically carries one or more sensors which may be used for a variety of purposes including application of ablation energy, position sensing, collecting electrophysiological data, detecting the temperature or other characteristics of tissue, and the like. Such sensors may be disposed on either the interior or exterior of the catheter.
Sensors are typically assembled onto or into the catheter during the manufacture of the shaft or assembly of the catheter. For example, a sensor may be incorporated into the shaft by placing it between layers of a melt-processing polymer and then reflowing the polymer to encapsulate the sensor. In another example, an electrode may be placed on the exterior of the shaft during assembly of the catheter.
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.